Through Fire and Flames
by Psykoticzombie
Summary: Dakota D'Arensbourg had her roots in South Louisiana. Coming out of a bad home, she was coupled with attitude and a sharp wit. Her world was just broken, but soon everyone else's was too. She was thrown into the world of Walkers and banded with a group where she met her match. Daryl Dixon. Will their feuding tear the group apart or will it bring them close in a world of the undead?
1. Chapter 1: Rude Awakening

_ "We give our condolences to you ma'am." _

_ "Any idea who did this?" Her voice came out strained as she ignored the sympathy in their eyes. She didn't need anyone's condolences or anyone's sad, despair-filled eyes staring down at her. What she needed was answers. What she needed was justice. _

_ "Actually, yes. You may want to take a seat." He straightened his tie and cleared his throat, trying to rid the thick tension in the air. She stood in place, refusing to sit as there was no real need to._

_ He sighed seeing she wasn't budging and continued, "The Georgia state police department called and they have James Landry in custody. His trial starts on Wednesday."_

_ He stared at her sunken face waiting for a reply. Knowing the history, he expected tears or shock, but there was nothing. Just her silence and her demeanor looking only slightly disheveled. She opened her mouth only to close it, trying to find something appropriate to respond with._

_ "That was fast." That being all she could manage. A lock of her chestnut hair fell in front of her face and she didn't bother to move it. He had to stifle a smile watching the child he'd protected several times over the years, try to be strong._

_ "Well, he caught himself on video. All the evidence was there. His trial wont last long because there's no real reason to discuss the evidence or lack thereof. the situation is blatantly obvious and if he pleads guilt, he'll be immediately sentenced. And with all the crimes already on his record, he'll be locked away with the worst of them in the Georgia prison."_

_ "Thank you, so much." She said sipping the rest of her early morning latte._

...

She sighed and turned on the radio, knowing it would be futile. Every car was stopped and people were hanging around all over the highway. They were trying to reach Atlanta and escape from the oncoming threat plastered all over the news. The smell of danger was prominent in the air. Something big was coming, but she didn't care. After everything that happened, she just wanted to go home and engulf herself in her mattress.

And then it happened. Flames rose up from the city of Atlanta. At first, all she could hear was the helicopters, the falling napalm, and the explosions. Soon, frantic cries of civilians rang out over the explosions. She opened her door and craned her neck, trying to see what was causing the chaos. She saw it plain as day. "What the-"

Half-decayed and impaired people began to pour into the road, clawing and biting those trying to escape. She cursed and closed the door, and she gathered her belongings into a bag. She hopped out and grabbed her old bow she had left in the trunk from her last hunting trip. Then she ran. She ran until the end of the line of cars came into view. She slung the door open to the last car turned it around, speeding away. The deformed things chased after her, but she only drove faster.

A loud sound escaped her lips. Somewhere between a frightened whimper and a despairing moan. She realized now the she was never going home.

~~0...0~~

She didn't slow down in her attempt to escape. She didn't know exactly here she would escape to, but she had to find somewhere. What the hell happened? The news said something about a disease, but those things didn't look sick. They looked dead. They were eating other people for god's sake. They were zombies. The apocalypse really had come.

Her frightened thoughts continued to echo through her mind as she searched out somewhere to hide. This car was running low on gas. It was close to empty when she hopped in. She felt guilt bubble in the pit of her stomach as she thought at bout how she just stole someone's car and their chance of escaping. Then bile rose up in her throat, she knew they had just been brutally ripped apart and chewed on like a dead animal.

She was too afraid for tears. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins and she had no time to cry. Her eyes frantically searched the roadside, trying to find somewhere to hide and use their phone. Her searching stopped when her eyes landed on their target. A small wooden cabin came into view. She pulled into the drive way and turned the car. She glanced around checking to see if it was safe. Seeing no one, she grabbed her bag and searched through the car for anything valuable.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the pocket knife her uncle had given her years ago. She pulled it open and made her way onto the porch. She lightly knocked on the door, but assuming that there was no one here since there were no vehicles, she slowly cracked the door and looked in. Seeing nothing she made her way through the house making sure it was clear. She ran through the home locking all the windows and doors. She stopped on her way through the kitchen. On the refrigerator held a note,

_Dear Linda and Hannah,_

_ We left for Atlanta. Things were getting hectic and we had to evacuate. If your find yourself out here, hurry and leave. Go to the military base, that's where we're headed. Be careful and be safe. We love you._

_Love, _

_Mom and Dad_

She stifled back a sob as she realized that they would never reach Atlanta and they would never see Linda and Hannah. She sighed and made her way into the living room, where she fell against the couch as the tears finally came falling.

~~0...0~~

Bam! An old box of noodles hit the wall and slid to the floor. She growled in frustration. She was running out of food. She knew it was coming and she had already prepared her things for leaving. She gathered up what little unspoiled food that she could and found a slightly larger backpack in an up stair room. She packed in two extra sets of clothes that she had also found in a bedroom. She filled the remainder of the bag with as much of the stash of water bottles that she could.

It had been a little over a month since she came here. She got lucky and only saw a few of those things still wandering about. She figured they had all migrated to the city in search of food because that was exactly what she was going to do. She wasn't foolish enough to think her apartment was still there, untouched by the devastation. She just thought if she could go back in to the city as quietly as she could then she could gather supplies and come back.

She gathered up whatever weapons she could find; another pocket knife, a .357 Magnum pistol with 2 boxes of ammo, a machete, and a two-handed axe. She thanked God for country people.

She threw all of her things into her car and gave the house one last goodbye if she didn't return. Mentally, she thanked the people who lived here for letting her use their things. The car was almost on empty, so she would only make it to the outskirts of the city. She drove on and reached the highway where she began and the car sputtered. Knowing it wasn't going to go further, she hoisted her backpack and her bow onto her back and began walking.

There wasn't much to see except the remains of a few bodies that were decayed and almost non-existent. She looked through a few cars, but most of them were empty. She walked on as quietly as she could knowing that if she was too loud, it would attract those things. She had hunted plenty of times growing up in Louisiana. She knew how to stay quiet and almost invisible. She kept her eyes ahead of her and her the machete she found readied. She had almost made it through the treeline and could see the city when she heard it.

It was only one of them and it slowly trudged toward her growling. It knocked over a chess set that sat upon the hood of one of the cars. The pieces went scattering all over the road and she cursed hoping no more would come to the sound. But they did. She ran forward and struck the first one through the chest, but it didn't stop. She ripped the blade out and it came at her again as if nothing happened. It was now that she began to panic. She had absolutely no idea how to stop them and they had gathered into a group of about 14.

"God, help me." She leapt up from where she was crouched, fending herself from the thing and she ran. She ran as fast as she could trying to reach the city. If she was lucky there would be survivors and she could get help. A thought in the back of her mind kept nipping at her, she knew there was no one. She watched the place get bombed, but she decided she had to try anyway. Even if there was nothing, she still had to hope for an escape.

If this happened right here in Georgia, was it like this in every state. Was the rest of the world gone too? There was no way she was the only survivor, but what if she was. The snarls of the group rang out behind her and it was fear and adrenaline that kept her head facing forward and her legs moving. She finally reached the city, but she didn't stop. There had to be a place to hide. She tried to think of the nearest place to hide and she remembered suddenly. Her feet drove her forward, twisting and turning. Her body already knew the way and she wasn't stopping any time soon.

It was a warehouse just beside an old nursing home. She had been there several times before just scouting the place out when she moved here. It had a gate around it and the only thing ever there was a Mexican clan that liked to hang out inside. It would be secure and the clan would be gone. So she ran faster and before she knew it, it was in her sights. The tall wire fences rose into her view and the parking lot and streets were littered with trash. She reached the gate and the herd of now 17 freaks were still trotting after her. The gate was locked. She looked around and spotted hair and a tattoo. There was a guard on duty.

"HEY! HEY! Open up! Please open the gate!" She yelled at the man and he turned to see the commotion. His eyes filled with fear as he stared at her. The group of those things now only about 20 yards away from her.

"Please, please open up! Help me please!" Her voice grew frantic as he just stared at her, his eyes now filling with guilt and regret. Her yelling must have caused the people inside to get curious. There were about 6 men filing out of the warehouse doors. Four of them didn't look like they were part of the clan. One was clad in a police uniform, another in worn out clothing, an asian with a hat, and a colored man in a white shirt. They were screaming at the guard to open the gates up for the girl, but he only shook his head.

"If she gets in then those things will too. We have to protect our people." The men looked baffled and the one raised his crossbow and started toward the gate, but it was too late. Those things were right beside her now. She elbowed one in the face and felt it's rotten skin sink in. She grunted and heaved herself away and did the only thing her mind told her to do. She ran. This time she had no idea where she was going she just ran and they followed her. She ran for a few minutes until she came across a white van. She hopped inside the back momentarily, ripped open her pack, and downed a water bottle. She tried catching her breath, but she could hear the growling and snarling. She made a defeated sound and threw her pack back on and ran once again.

The railroad tracks seemed endless, but eventually woods came into view. She knew the woods might hold safety for her. She knew how to take care of herself in the woods. The trees would throw them off and offer her protection. She ran through the woods, stopping every chance she got. It seemed that she lost many of those things as a dusty trail came into view. It was getting dark and she couldn't see well, but she continued running in hopes of another house in the distance. The trail, just like the tracks, dragged on forever and she had no idea how much longer her legs would keep working. She ached all over. Sweat poured off of her from over exertion and her heart was beating out of control. Her breath quickened until she was choking on air. She thought she was finished, until a camp came into view. She turned her head seeing that those things had disappeared. She realized now she hadn't been running very long, only for about 2 hours if that. The trail behind her suddenly didn't seem so long and in the distance she could make out the railroad tracks and she cursed herself for taking a detour and not heading straight.

She made it to the camp. She was safe and she wasn't alone. There were people here. The camp became clearer as she neared it. There were people sitting around a camp fire and she could tell they were laughing. She was overcame with joy and was about to call out to them when she heard screaming. She stood frozen in her place. The people got up in a frenzy and ran toward the rv where a young blonde was being bitten. The camp was being over run by those things. Did she bring them here? No, there was no way she had brought this many. The screaming got worse and she covered her ears. She was going to die along with everyone in this camp. There was no hope for any of them. The screaming just continued as more and more of the freaks filed into the camp. A few walked past her, distracted by the young girl's screams. No one from the camp had seen her yet, they were all too busy trying to defend themselves.

Gunshots echoed through the camp and men were running around hacking, shooting, and bashing their heads in. Her breath hitched in her throat and her vision was blurry from tears she hadn't even known were flowing. She stumbled around and avoided a few of the things. She looked down at herself and noticed blood. It must have been from one of those monsters. Those things were looking at her now, there were only a few left, but she stumbled out of the way as most of them were shot. The sounds of gunshots died into the night air and she found her way out of a bush. Her adrenaline wore off and her body felt ragged and aged beyond her years. Everyone was crying and hugging their children and heaved giant relieved breaths. A few were pointing their guns around the field searching for any more of them. She suddenly recognized a few of them. The one with the crossbow, the officer, and the Asian. She fumbled accidentally but stood back up.

"Over there!" She twisted her neck around to hear where it came from. A woman was pointing at her still crying and holding her daughter. "I got it." A rough voice broke over the sobs and he raised his crossbow took aim and shot.


	2. Chapter 2: Chance Encounter

"Over there!" She twisted her neck around to hear where it came from. A woman was pointing at her still crying and holding her daughter. "I got it." A rough voice broke over the sobs and he raised his crossbow took aim and shot.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she tried to dodge. She closed her eyes and turned as hard as she could and then she heard buzzing and felt a burst of wind and then the impact. The arrow lodged straight through her shoulder and she collapsed with a loud, pained cry. She was moaning face down in the dirt, her shoulder dripping blood onto the patch of grass. She grabbed her shoulder and continued to cry out in misery.

"Shit!" His voice barely broke through her stupor. She forced herself to look as he dropped his bow and came running along with the officer and another man. Her head swam as her mind went blank. She felt herself being lifted and over heard the officer. "She's alive! Get her into the RV!" His voice faltered, her vision went black, and then there was nothing.

~~0...0~~

_"Good morning, Dakota." She felt a soft, gentle hand shake her. "Sweetheart, I've got breakfast ready?" Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at the woman standing over her._

_ "Morning Isabella." A heart-warming smile spread across the aging woman's face. She helped her up out of bed and left the room without saying another word. The girl finished getting dressed and headed downstairs. She rounded the hallway and heard voices. She knelt down and peeked around the corner trying to over hear. There was a man clad in a Mississippi state trooper uniform. His strong voice spoke to Isa in a calming tone and her eyes looked wild._

_ "We found him this morning. Must have been an overdose. The forensics are being processed and his body is in autopsy until Tuesday." He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. Isa's breathing was irregular and the color had all but drained from her face. He tried to get closer and hear, but she banged her knee on the stair railings. Suddenly, she felt 10 years old again._

_ "Dakota, hunny?" Ashamed she stood up and tried to pretend she had just fell, knowing they wouldn't believe her. "What's going on?" She made her way downstairs and the officer took off his hat and lowered his hat. _

_ "Miss D'Arensburg, we just found him this morning." He looked at her and waited for her reaction. She knew better than to ask, that nipping in her head turned to a vicious bite. "Found who?"_

_ "Your father. Jackson. I'm sorry miss, but he's passed on." Her mind swam and her knees buckled. He thrust his arms out to catch her as she fell forward, but not before two words escaped her lips, "I know."_

_ "Dakota?"_

_ "Girl?"_

_ "Hey?"_

A frail, aged hand was shaking her shoulder and trying to wake her. Her eyes flicked open and she scrambled backward as hard as she could. Panting like a dog, her breath was coming up short. He wore a straw hat and dressed like an average tourist. His face was aged and his Santa-white beard spread toward his ears. Suddenly she was award of the stabbing pain in her shoulder and she was reminded of last night's events. The arrow was gone and her shoulder was bandaged. Only a small amount of blood was seeping out. He noticed her staring at it and he spoke up.

"We cleaned it. It only needed 3 stitches and I bandaged you up myself." He wore a small triumphant smile on his face. Her eyes grew heavy and began to sting. "Thank you. Thank you so much." He reached out and gave her hand a small squeeze.

"Comon, now that you're up we've got some introducing to do." She followed him slowly out of the RV and took each step cautiously. She looked up from the dusty ground and met the eyes of the campers. They all stared at her, some in confusion, some in accusation, and others in guilt. She watched the old man walk away and suddenly she felt alone again. All of them staring at her made her feel like a deer caught in headlights. Her knees were shaking and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead. What was she thinking? Coming into a camp with all these people that could be anything like murderers, psychopaths? She was thinking that she wasn't alone. She was thinking she would survive.

The man who carried her to RV came into view and he glanced around seeing that the others were just standing around dumbfounded. "Everyone get to work, now. You, Mrs. Walker. Get over here." He motioned his hand for her to follow him. She looked around and saw everyone working. They burned some and buried the others. The girl she heard screaming last night was laying as still as death. Ironic.

"Rick, she's awake." The man who was dressed in the police uniform now wore a bloodied white shirt. This man must've been Rick. His face looked worn and ragged and matched everyone else's. He began walking over when they heard yelling. "A walker got him. A walker bit Jim!" Everyone crowded around the poor man. He looked scared and tired. His sweat was dripping off of his nose.

"Show it to us. Show it to us!" He raised his pick-axe and Jim shuffled backward trying to grab a shovel. He was forced to drop the shovel when he was grabbed from behind and kept repeating, "I'm okay, I'm okay." His shirt was thrust up as they stared at the bite wound and backed away from him in horror. What were these people's problems? She finally found her courage and spoke up.

"So what? He got bit." They turned to her and stared at her like she was an ignorant child. She hated that look and without anything to say she looked behind them then back at the ground. Rick had tapped her on her unharmed shoulder and told her to follow. A small group had banded and were discussing what to do. "Someone should put a pick axe in his head and the dead girl's. Be done with it."

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?"

"Yeah and I'd thank you while ya did it." He narrowed his eyes before someone else spoke.

"I never thought I'd say this, but maybe Daryl's right." The old man motioned toward the man wielding a pick axe.

"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or a rabid dog." All of their voices suddenly rose, but Rick's won out over theirs. "He's sick! He's sick! Mad. We go down that road and where do we draw the line?" She stood there quiet as she could. She had no idea what the big deal was. He got bit, but what did that matter? "The lines pretty clear. Zero tolerance for Walkers." She assumed he was Daryl.

"What if we could get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure?" "Yeah I heard that too. Heard alot of things before the world went to hell."

"What if the CDC is still up and running?" Rick continued argueing. "Man that is a stretch right there." The other man kept up.

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they would protect the CDC at ALL costs wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection, rescue-" Rick was cut off.

"I know you want those things. So do I. Now if they exist they're at the army base, Fort Benning." They all kept argueing, but she just covered her ears and blocked it all out until she saw Daryl turn around. She knew what was coming, she saw the intent in his eyes. He turned his head down and nodded like he had already decided his next move. "You go looking for aspirin. Somebody needs to have some balls and take care of this damn problem." He ran toward Jim, but when Rick cocked his gun and pointed it at his head, he stopped with his axe raised mid-air.

"We don't kill the living." Rick spoke slowly and and carefully trying to make sure Daryl got the message. "Funny, coming from a man who just put a gun to my head."

"Please don't kill him." Daryl stopped and turned to her, even Rick lowered his gun. Daryl stared at her, his gaze curious. "L-look, I don't know what you guys are talking about, b-but he's fine. It's only a bite mark. It'll heal." Her face lookied worried and panicked. "Where were you when this all happened?" Rick looked at her like she adorned a straight jacket and he flicked his hand out toward the other man, "Shane, take Jim to the RV."

She waited for him to clear out before continueing. "I-I'm not really sure. Was on the way home. Watched Atlanta get bombed. They came out of nowhere. I just drove way a-a-and-" Her voice faltered and her eyes began to look distant and glassy. Daryl reached out and touched the back of his hand to her forehead and left a dirt smudge.

"She's sweatin' like crazy. You hot?" She shivered and shook her head. "Cold sweat. She's runnin' a fever. Best get her some medicine." Rick nodded and turned to her, "Comon let's g-" She slumpt foreward and was inches from the ground when she saw a pick axe fall and arms hoist her back up. "Hey, Hey, hey. Woah there." They sat her down and leaned her against the RV. Her vision came back and eventually she sighed. "I'm fine."

"We're going to clean up. There's alot to do. Just hang around here until everything's finished. We'll discuss it later." Rick walked off and soon Daryl did too and she was left sitting up against the RV.

She noticed the Asian kid pulling dead bodies onto a burn pile. She grimaced, but walked to him anyhow. "Can I help?" She stared into his almost black eyes and he managed a small smile. "Uh, yeah. You can help me drag these onto the fire." She grabbed the legs and looked up at him with a smile, "Can do!"

We spent the next several minutes pulling the rotted corpses on top of the fire. The stench of decaying flesh burning was the nastiest thing she had ever smelt. She accidently coughed when she couldn't stand it anymore. He laughed at her and handed her a doo rag to cover her face with. She laughed in respone, "Thanks..uh..?"

"It's Glenn and you?" A loud gunshot rang out and they dropped their shovels as a gunshot rang through the air. He looked around and stopped, frowning. She looked at him in question as she spotted where the sound had came from. A young woman knelt beside a body, stroking it's face.

"Andrea's sister was bitten." His response to her questioning gaze confused her. There was alot of things she didn't know yet. Sighing, she turned back and they set out to work again.

~0...0~

She watched as they pulled the bodies into a few recently dug holes. Everyone crowded around and tears stained their faces. All she could hear was the muffled sound of their sobs and her heart ached. She was so out of place. She had no idea who these people were or what they had been through, yet she was here intruding on their camp. They bandaged her up and she attempted to help them, but she still only felt useless. Alas, she just stood and stared, wanting to cry with them. They gave a make shift funeral for their dead and returned to their work. Rick and Shane left for the woods, whilst she left following Glenn. He lead her to the R.V and asked how she was feeling.

"Just stings a little is all." He laughed and told her she was a liar. He handed her a bottle of water and another pain killer. In reality, her shoulder throbbed violently. She shouldn't have been dragging around bodies, but she couldn't stand there and do nothing. It felt wrong, but the pain in her shoulder felt almost as wrong.

Eventually, everyone gathered around the campfire site. Shane was the first one to speak. He told everyone that he was siding with Rick as he had trusted his instincts and that whomever agreed could leave with them in the morning. Most nodded their heads accepting their next plan. She could only stare into the eyes of everyone at a loss of words.

"So Bullseye, I think it's time we discuss you." Shane's words hit her ears hard and she tilted her head up. Everyone's eyes were on her. She felt intimidated by a certain pair of eyes that had been on her the moment she woke up. He had brown hair and his eyes weren't that kind of sky blue, they were piercing and they seemed marbelized. His jaw was set firm and his eyes unmoving from her face. She hoped he hadn't decided her fate like he had decided Jim's, but after all he DID shoot her.

"Dakota." She managed to get the courage to turn away from his cold, stone-like gaze. Things remained silent and she realized that meant she should continue. "I left the house I'd been livin' in yesterday to try and get in Atlanta. I was runnin' low on supplies. I was just supposed to get in and get out, but one of those..things..zombies or whatever-"

"Zombies huh? Haven't heard that one yet." Glenn had a small sly smiler before Shane spoke, "We prefer to call 'em Walkers."

Her mouth formed an 'o' and she continued, "A.. walker came out and I tried to sneak past it. It came after me, makin' alot of noise and more of 'em came out. I tried to stab it, but it was like it didn't feel it. It kept comin' so I just ran. Made it into Atlanta, but I couldn't find anywhere to hide." She glanced up at Rick.

"They wouldn't let us out of the gates to go after you. We tried, but they said you were a goner and we assumed they were right." She shook her head at him and said she uderstood and finished her story. "So you brought walkers into our camp with our families? You put all of our lives in danger for yourself? We don't even know you!" The owner of the voice was the same gray haired woman that assumed she was a walker.

"N-no! By the time I got here-" She went to defend herself, but another voice rose over hers. "Carol could be right." This time it was an aging black woman.

"I swear there weren't any behind me when I got here."

"That's because they were busy eating our families!" Argueing ensued and all of the voices began to grow distant and mixed as her eyes stung and fill with water. "I'm sorry. I am so so sorry." Hot trails of salt water ran down her face as she covered her ears and stood. She didn't glance back up at the as she ran from the camp and back into the woods. Once they were out she slowed her pace to a walk. She knew this wasn't going to work the minute she stepped into camp. She just wanted to be safe, her mind was overloaded with the thoughts of safety and other people. It was lonely living in a house by yourself for a month.

She only walked for a few minutes when she heard growling. Frozen, she stood under the canopy of trees. Looking around, she saw only woods surrounding her and she didn't remember which way back to the camp. She cursed at the wind and kept walking. The growling grew louder and she could hear the footsteps to her right. She knew it was beside her and there was nothing she could do to defend herself. She could fight, but she knew she'd only lose. From what she saw they didn't feel anything, so what would her fists do? She should've known she wouldn't last long. She had never been strong, there was no way she'd expect to survive the apocalypse.

She screamed as she felt hands wrapped around her neck and she was thrown on the ground. A mixture of saliva and blackened blood fell onto her face and she couldn't breathe. The odor pouring off of the walker was too intense for her lungs and for it to be rotting, it was strong. Her instincts almost took over and she tried to wriggle loose, but then her mind stopped her. Did she really want to live? In a world like this did she want to exist? She had just lost the group she that could be the only few survivors left and all of her chances for safety.

A soft murmur escaped her lips and a figure blurred past her. Suddenly it hit her. Figuratively. She wanted to live, she was strong. She didn't have to die a shameful death like this. She pushed it's head back with her bad arm and heard a familiar whizzing. Pain rippled through her hand and the walker went limp. She looked over and saw a familar brown head.

"Shit!"


	3. Chapter 3: A Chance

A/N: The last chapter was forced and I'm really not happy with the outcome. I just hope this one's better. :p I unfourtunately got dropped during a cheer stunt yesterday and my elbow and hip bone are bruised, so I've been out of commision I do apologize. Also sorry for it being so short, trying to get on track. And thanks for the reviews guys(:

~0...0~

"Shit!"

"Oh my god. Ohhhhh god. What the hell. What the...owww.." She rolled the body off of her and rolled her face into dirt. She rolled around and his face came into view. Those blue eyes staring down at her like he was angry.

"What the hell is your problem? Why do you always shoot me?" Her words came out in breaths and sounded like a small child whining at her father. His hands wrapped around her collar and he hauled her to her feet.

"My problem? What's your? You just barge in here and get yourself in stupid situations and ask me why I shoot you?" She looked down away from his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I probably keep givin' you a hard time. You havin' to shoot me and all."

"Camp's leavin' in about 30 minutes. Your either going or ya ain't." He turned and she knew she was supposed to follow. So she did. She frowned at her thoughts. He probably hated her, hell they all probably hated her. Maybe she did bring those things into camp. He had to shoot her once and now he had to save her life and she hadn't even thanked him for it yet. The grounds came back into view and everyone was hugging a small group goodbye.

"We're headed to the CDC. We've cleared everything up and you did not bring the walkers here. Caryl just lost her husband. Everyone is having a hard time right now, so if you could forgive that little incident." She nodded at Rick as he spoke to her.

"Thank you so much." He took that as a yes and he went on his way. She turned to head toward the R.V where most everyone was when a hand grabbed her arm.

"Listen here Bullseye, if you give us any trouble, if you hurt any one in this group, I won't hesitate to take you out. Understood?" Shane's voice came out low, but it carried hard as it hit her ears. A lump formed in her throat and she nodded, "I wont. I'll prove my worth, I promise. Just wait." He let go without another word and left. She rubbed her arm where his fingerprints were visible. She heard a scuffle and forgotten Daryl had been behind her the entire time. His blue eyes were enraged and narrowed, but he wasn't looking at her.

"Hey! Listen, I'm sorry for what I said out there. I shoulda been thanking you. So now I apologize and thank you for saving me. I was being stupid, I know."

"Yeah you were." With that he turned and made his way to the RV and went inside. She frowned and a minute later went over to where Dale was. She spoke with him briefly before Daryl came out of the RV toteing a familiar black backpack. His eyes trailed past her and she turned seeing what they had landed on. Shane's eyes were peering into her back and she hadn't noticed. He grunted and looked down to her, throwing her the sack. She caught it with a huff.

"Come on." He motioned for her to follow him as he made his way to a blue truck. "What?"

"Get in." He had already grabbed for the door. "Are ya sure, I mean I don't wanna be a bother. I can go with -"

"Said get in. Ain't nobody here worth trusting." He slammed his door shut and cranked up the truck. She slid in and buckled up. He looked over briefly and she beamed at him, a smile encompassing her whole face. He just huffed and they took off.

~0...0~

The trees flew by and Dakota stared out into the distance looking at Daryl every now and again. His face looked strained, like he was going through hell on Earth. Well, it was hell on Earth. She tried looking off and occasionally the scenery would distract her, but she kept finding her eyes landing on him. He stared out the window looking as if he had totally forgotten she was there. He probably had forgotten. The poor thing looks like he's been through alot. She smiled at him , she could tell he was strong.

"What the hell do you keep starin' for?" She jumped up and quickly adverted her eyes back to the treeline. He snorted and she stared down at her hands, slightly embarassed. She looked ahead and the RV sputtered for a moment and she could see steam rising from the grill. Everyone pulled over and Daryl hopped out, with her in his footsteps. Dale needed another hose.

"Guys, it's Jim. I don't think he can take anymore." A woman with dark skin exited and reentered the RV. Shane left with the other dark skinned man to find a hose while Rick entered the RV.

"I'm sorry for earlier. I hope we can put it behind us. I'm Jacki." A firm, but dainty hand was lying on her shoulder. She layed her hand over Jacki's and gave a light squeeze.

"I'm sorry too. Everything's abit confusing right now." Jacki nodded and they smiled at each other. Rick exited the RV by this time and reported the news. Everyone looked pain-stricken.

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and everyone shot me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just going to suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. I think we have an answer." Dale's eyes were filled with sorrow. They knew they had to respect Jim's wishes, but no one exactly wanted to be responsible or live with leaving a man for dead. It only took a minute to decide what to do, but a woman was right it was neither Rick nor Shane's decision. So they helped Jim out of the camper and laid him against a tree.

Everyone gathered around and Jim was smiling, "Hey another damn tree." An exhausted laugh came from his throat and Dakota smiled along with him as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Hey Jim, you know it doesn't have to be this?" Shane was kneeled down to Jim's eye level. Jim shook his head and said that it did, so Shane backed up. Dakota looked around at everyone's faces, surprised they'd willingly let him stay. She was also confused about why he wanted to be left behind. Good lord, there must be something she's missing here.

Soon most everyone took their turns speaking to him. Jacki kissed him on the cheek, Rick tried giving him a gun which he refused to accept, Dale thanked him for fighting alongside them, and Jim turned his attention to Dakota.

"I never caught your name." Jim stared at her and she suddenly felt a wave of extreme sadness as she told him it was Dakota.

"Dakota, huh? That's pretty. I had a sister named Dakota." A few tears fell from her face as she managed a soft laugh. He reached out to grasp her hand and he held on tight. "Listen, these people here are good. They are good people. I can see that your good too. They'll take care of you, but you've got to take care of them." She nodded and promised him that she would. He let go and she backed up, a few more tears trailing. Everyone backed away and left with tears of their own. Daryl stayed behind a few more seconds. A look of understanding passed between the two of them as he pressed his lips into a hard line and nodded toward Jim. They all drove away and Jim was left leaning against that tree, smiling.

~0...0~

_"Mom?" Her small figure ran through the rooms searching for her mother. Her drawing was flapping in her hand as she ran. Her excitement was through the roof. It was decided, she'd make her momma happy today. If she could find her atleast. _

_She checked every room downstairs and then she ran upstairs. Her father was gone to work, so he wouldn't be here to scold her for running through the house. Not like it would've mattered anyway, her excitement had already took over. She won a prize today from her teacher for coloring the best picture. It was of her mom, dad, and her brother. She just knew her mother would love it._

_She ripped open every door until she made it to her parent's bedroom. It was a major no to go in there, but she just had to. She knocked twice and there was no answer, so she just opened it and went in. Her mother was lying on the bed smoking again. She ignored her mother's scolding and jumped on the bed. She smiled brightly and handed her mother the drawing, telling her of how she won the prize. All the while her mother had been staring at one place imparticular._

_"Dakota." She stopped talking now and stared at her mother. "You don't have a brother."_

_"Yes I do." Normally she wouldn't argue with her mom so, but how could she say that? She thought her mother would start yelling but instead, she took the picture and she tore it. She kept tearing it into tiny little pieces and threw them at her. "He's dead."_

~0...0~

A hard hand gripped her arm. "Hey, get up. We're here." Her eyes flicked open and she watched Daryl get out the truck and she followed in close pursuit. Everyone was huddled close together as they headed toward the CDC. Dead bodies were strung across the entire parking lot. A makeshift military base had been set up here, but didn't look like it had been for long. Rick ordered them to stay quiet and she covered up her nose. The only sound heard was everyone's coughs and the sound of thousands of flies laying their eggs in the corpses of hundreds.

They fought their way through the smell and flies and made it to the door. Shane and Rick tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge.

"There's nobody here." Rick looked incredelous and his eyes grew frantic.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick went toward the door once more.

"Walkers!" Daryl's voice growled and he turned in an instant and launched a bolt through it's head. He said something else, but it was drowned out by the frantic cries of the women.

"He made a call!" Shane's voice came out over theirs.

"It was the wrong damn-"

Shane slapped Daryl's chest and pointed at him.

"Shut up! Shut up! You hear me? Shut up, Shut up!" Shane turned again, "Rick this is a dead end, you hear me?" They started argueing again and Dakota grew confused and a bit scared. Daryl grabbed her arm as everyone started back to the camper. Rick stayed staring at the camera and she jerked her arm loose from his grasp.

"The camera it moved." She ran up to Rick looking to where he pointed.

"Rick it's an automated device man. Come on." Shane pulled on Rick and Daryl came back up and told her to come on.

"No he's right, it moved." Dakota spoke over the men's voices, but they ignored her. Daryl told her to shut up and began pulling her away. Shane gripped Rick's shirt hard, "This place is dead man, it's dead!" Everyone started yelling at each other and it became loud and frantic.

"We're desperate. We have women and children. No food, hardly any gas left and nowhere else to go. If you don't let us in you're killing us! Please!" Daryl had already dragged her about 10 feet away and Shane had gotten the best of Rick. Rick's cries of "You're killing us" just would not stop. As they moved farther and farther away a loud metal sound erupted and a blinding light shone from behind them.


	4. Chapter 4: Getting Acquainted

"We're desperate. We have women and children. No food, hardly any gas left and nowhere else to go. If you don't let us in you're killing us! Please!" Daryl had already dragged her about 10 feet away and Shane had gotten the best of Rick. Rick's cries of "You're killing us" just would not stop. As they moved farther and farther away a loud metal sound erupted and a blinding light shone from behind them.

They stood there, staring at the newly opened doors in awe. They began to walk in and Dakota heard the snarling behind her. It was far too close. Beside her, she saw Daryl raise his crossbow. Before he could act, she turned and gripped the machete she had tucked into her belt, the same one she had stuffed into her backpack before Atlanta. She raised it and slashed straight through the walker's skull as it's teeth had almost grazed her skin. The weight of it almost pushed her down, but she managed to push it off of her.

She ran straight ahead, with everyone on her trails. Inside, she received a few sideways glances, from the men especially. She just shrugged and held onto her machete even tighter.

"Hello?" Rick's voice echoed throughout the compound and Dale's voice right after his warning T-Dog to watch for walkers.

A gun cocked and everyone turned with their weapons raised. The owner of the gun adorned pajamas and his eyes looked wild.

"Anybody infected?" His voice came out clear, but hurried. It wasn't just him. Everyone was in a frenzy.

Rick responded directly and without hesitation, "One of our group was. He didn't make it."

"Why are you here? What do you want?"

"A chance."

"That's askin' an awful lot these days."

"I know."

As they spoke back and forth, Jacqui and Dakota exchanged glances. Looking back they noticed, his eyes were scanning the group.

"You all submit to a blood test, that's the price of admission." A small sigh of relief ran through her as she lowered her machete.

Rick agreed and the man told them to go and get their things, that once the door closed, it wouldn't be opening. Dale and T-Dog held the doors and everyone retrieved their things. Dakota went straight for the RV and grabbed her old bow. Before coming back she ran to Daryl's truck and grabbed her backpack.

"Vi, seal the main entrance." The man spoke into an automated box. It was then she realized, they had electricity. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair, listening to Rick and the man. He identified himself as Dr. Edwin Jenner. They were ushered into the elevator where an awkward silence took over.

"Doctors always go around packin' heat like that?" She smirked at Daryl's words, but then the uncomfort came back. She was squished between Carol and Jacqui. Awesome.

"There were plenty left lying around, I familiarized myself with them, but you all look harmless enough. 'Cept you." Jenner smiled, nodding down at Rick's son. "I'm gonna' have to keep my eye on you." He smirked again, turning around and the silence ensued.

The elevator came to a halt and they exited into a long hallway. "Are we underground?" Dakota glanced as Carol spoke.

"Are you clausterphobic?" Jenner asked, glancing at her. When she responded with a yes, he continued, "Try not to think about it."

"You could always go back out if you need fresh air." This earned her a few dirty looks and she frowned. "Jus' sayin'."

Finally they entered a clearing, and they walked into a room full of high tech computers. "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room." Immediatly, light engulfed the entire room as they made their way in.

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" Rick looked at Jenner as the Doctor responded, "I'm it."

Rick's wife asked about the person to whom he had been speaking with earlier, Vi. Dr. Jenner told Vi to say hello and welcome to the guests. A voice rang out in response, "Hello guests, welcome." And he confirmed that he was all that was left, "I'm sorry."

~0...0~

Everyone took turns taking their blood test. She was after Andrea, who was up right now, asking what the point of it was.

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting ya in here. Let me just, atleast, be thorough. All done." Jenner spoke to her, but Andrea faltered. "Are you okay?"

Jacqui replied for her telling him that none of his had eaten in days. A look passed over his face, confirming that he had an idea. He pointed to Dakota, "Last one." He motioned for her, but when she hesitated, he spoke again. "Come on G.I. Jane, won't be bad."

She started twiddling her thumbs as she rose up and swallowed the built up saliva in her throat. She made her way down and tried not to run as he prepped her arm. "Will you hold still?" He grunted as the needle tried to make it's way to her skin.

"Sorry, ADHD." She gave him a smile, but it promptly turned into a grimace as she felt the needle pierce her arm and make its way to her vein. She squeeled and turned away so she wouldn't be forced to stare at it. He began wrapping up her arm and she stood up as it was finished.

Jenner motioned for everyone to get up and follow. She went to follow along, but bile rose up in throat. She walked a few more steps, but she couldn't handle it anymore. She fell hard onto her knees. The impact jolted her legs, but she just sat there ignoring it. Holding herself up with her arm, she began quivering. An arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her up. She looked up and a pair of blue eyes met hers. He stood there for a moment, his crossbow in one arm and her in the other. After a few seconds, she nodded and he released her. She shook off the pain and they made their way after Jenner.

~0...0~

"In Italy, children have a little wine with their dinner. And in France!" Dale spoke over everyone's laughter.

"Well and when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then." Rick's wife said sipping on her wine. Everyone looked at her and Rick nudged her into letting Carl try it. She shrugged and they poured him a glass. It went quiet for a moment as he put the glass to his lips. "Ew!"

"Stick to soda pop there bud." Shane joined in smiling at Carl, but something was off. He had his face propped up on his hands and he looked more sour than usual.

"Not you Glenn. Keep drinkin' little man, I wanna see how red your face can get." Daryl teased as he grabbed his bottle of liquor.

"Dakota?" She snapped up from her thoughts and stared back at who had spoken to her. By the time she gained her focus, she noticed a bottle of Jack flying toward her. She flinched as it landed in her lap. She looked up from the bottle and back at him with a questioning gaze.

"You're too damn quiet. Bet there's a wild side we don't know about." He smirked and she returned it. Quietly, she opened the bottle and turned it up. She shut her eyes and kept drinking. Memories haunted over her and she smiled into the rim of the bottle, knowing she was almost a professional at this. It went quiet for a second and getting tired, she sat the bottle, which was now a quarter of the way empty, back on the table.

Everyone burst into laughter and cheered her on. She laughed as well and stared back at those blue eyes. Her smile turned into a cheesy grin and he laughed. She felt a hand pat her on the back a few times and shake her shoulder and she turned seeing it was Jacqui.

"Speaking of things we don't know about you, tell us about yourself." Dale said pouring her a glass half-full of wine. She grabbed it and poured some of the Jack into the glass wondering how it'd taste.

"Well, uh let's see. I was born in Louisiana, but due to certain 'events' I moved to Mississippi. I got a scholarship for a really great visual and performing arts college here in Atlanta. I went there for about 4 years and I just decided to live here. I went home to Mississippi to take care of some buisness, but when I came back everything had gone to hell." She finished, sipping her from glass. Then the questions came rollin' in.

"How old are you?" Carl pipped up from behind his mom. Dakota laughed, "I'm 27. My birthday is November 17."

"You got a last name, Bullseye?" Shane asked from where he sat and she answered quickly, "No."

"So where were ya when all this happened?" Daryl spoke as he finished up his meal.

"I went back to Mississippi. I wasn't payin' attention to the news or anything and then they ordered everyone to evacuate. I had no idea why, so I was gonna go back home. Traffic was horrible and by the time I got about 5 miles away, it just stopped. Then when the city got bombed and the Walkers came out of the woods, I grabbed my stuff and I left. Grabbed a car near the edge of the jam and drove 'till I found a house. I holed up in there and didn't go out until I ran out of food. I tried to go back to Atlanta, but one of those things came at me and a whole group ended up chasin' me. And then you guys saved my life." Everyone was quiet as she finished her story. They all nodded, probably remembering their own tales as the air grew thick.

"Well now, I guess we never did properly meet." Dale went around the room and she learned everyone's names.

"Wow, I think I love you guys." She felt her eyes widen a little and she knew her liquor was kickin' in. _Cling Cling Cling. _Rick stood up, "Seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly."

"He's more than just our host." T-Dog raised his glass and everyone followed with cheers and Daryl's 'boo-yah!' Rick and Jenner tipped off glasses.

"So when you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc? All the other doctors that's supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?" Shane raised his eyebrows. Rick went to protest, but Shane insisted that it was Rick's idea to find answers.

"Well when things got bad, a lot of people just left. Went off to be with their families and when things got worse, when the military cordon got over-run, the rest bolted. Many couldn't face walking out the door. They…opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time." Jenner answered them, taking another sip from his glass.

"You didn't leave, why?" Andrea spoke up and Jenner nodded, "I just kept working, hoping to do some good."

Everything abruptly fell into silence. The air was thick enough that you could slice it with a knife. Most eyes were on Shane as Glenn rounded the table, "You are such a buzzkill man." Dakota went for another sip of her bottle, when T-Dog grabbed it from her and turned it up.

~0….0~

"Most of the facility is powered down, including housing. So you'll have to make do here. Couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you'd like. There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in video games okay, or anything that draws power. Same applies if you shower, go easy on the hot water." Jenner pointed at all of them making sure he had gotten the point across.

"Hot water?" Glenn slowly turned his head as Jenner walked left them to get settled in.

"That's what the man said." T-Dog went off laughing. She walked down the hall, waiting for everyone to settle in. She smiled at the ground ahead of her. Dr. Jenner gave them food and much needed alcohol. They had a place to sleep and a hot shower. This place was a blessing from God himself.

She stumbled around and saw the bottle of Jack from earlier sitting by the door of one of the rooms. "Amen." She said grabbing the bottle and taking a drink. She went through the hallway deciding she should pick a room and get a shower. She knocked on a few doors, seeing if they were empty, but they weren't. Most of them were occupied. Seeing that she was a bit passed buzzed and now had forgotten which of the rooms she had already checked, she sat down. A familiar scent wafted through her nostrils and she leaned her head back on the door.

It took her a minute to realize why the scent was so familiar. She had enjoyed it the entire way here. It was a musky sort of odor that reminded her of her childhood, the good parts at the least. It was a strong, sexy smell that she almost literally found herself drooling over and it belonged to-

_Click._ She heard the doorknob click and all too suddenly it swung open and she went back with it. Yep. It belonged to Daryl.


	5. Chapter 5: Risque Entertainment

A/N: I want to thank everyone that reads and reviews this story. It means a lot to me. I see now why everyone says reviews are fuel, it's true!(: I also wanted to give individual shout-outs to some very legit people!

Leyshla Gisel: Thanks so much for reviewing again. I really appreciate it. And yes, Daryl's room ;)

FanFicGirl10: I want to thank you for having some pretty funny conversations. And thank you for reading and giving me your opinions. It actually makes me think when you ask questions haha! And smut? Don't know yet. As for the others accepting her? I hope I'm not jumping into everything too fast lol.

Mischieflover: I really want to thank you for a lot of things! Firstly, if not for you, then I would not have even learned how to post stories haha. Also, thanks for correcting that horrible second chapter! :/ I really appreciate you reading and reviewing, it means the world!(:

Also, sorry

And on with the story(:

_Click._ She heard the doorknob click and all too suddenly it swung open and she went back with it. Yep. It belonged to Daryl.

A dirty, leather boot was positioned on either side of her head. Her eyelids were shut tight, trying to avoid his eyes. Her whole body tensed as her heart beat thumped loudly against her eardrum. The air was heavy and suddenly it was really warm.

"What the hell are you doing?" She eased her eyelids open and stared up at those blue eyes of his. They were narrowed and glaring down at the sight of her at his feet. His knuckles were white, gripping the doorknob.

"Um, I don't remember." Daryl's eyes didn't soften as he continued to stare down at her, probably waiting for a better answer.

"Get up." He responded curtly and she frowned. She got to her feet and stumbled back into the hallway where she lay back onto the floor, running her hand across the floor. He scoffed and turned back around, about to shut the door behind him when he heard soft singing.

"Just close your eyes, the sun is goin' down. You'll be alright. No one can hurt ya now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound." Her voice was soft and melodic with a hint of a husky tone. Then she giggled. The sound was perfect. It was a soft jingle that resembled tiny bells sounding in his ear. In his stomach was something small that began tugging at him. The tugging was washed away as he saw the frown that grew on her face.

"Go to yer room." He waited for her to get up, but she didn't.

"All the rooms I checked were taken. Then I got lost." She rolled onto her stomach and started playing with her hands against the floor again. Down the hall, he heard Shane's name being yelled and he made a noise somewhere between a growl and snort.

"Come on. Got to get you outta this hall before someone else catches ya." He walked out briskly and grabbed her arm and pulled her along. Daryl grabbed her by the arm and pulled her alongside him. He slowed his pace a bit to make sure her drunk ass could keep up. She stumbled a few times, but she managed to hold herself up and the liquor bottle. Checking each room, he finally found one and pulled it open. Dragging her inside, he sat her on the couch. His job here was done. He began to pull his arm away when he was wrenched down on top of her. She smelt nice, like soft rain in the morning. She smiled at him and his chest tightened. It was comfortable, but extremely uncomfortable in a sense. The heat that radiated off of her body hit him in a wave and he almost sighed in content, but he didn't.

"Ya know, you're pretty good lookin'." He watched her perfectly pink and plump lips move. In her sea green eyes reflected something that he wasn't used to seeing. So much so, that he didn't really know what it meant and that scared him. This girl just barging in here makin' all kinds of trouble, not looking half bad either, and giving him a look, that he didn't even know what it'd be called, that made him feel weird. Maybe it was the alcohol, but something about this girl didn't feel right.

Suddenly, her eyes flickered and for a moment it looked like she was falling asleep, but when he felt her lean up, he knew. He raised himself up off of the ground and went for the door when he stopped himself. Why was he walking away from an attractive girl, who just put the moves on? They'd both been drinking alot, it was a night to celebrate. So why didn't he just turn around and go back? Because it felt wrong, that's why. Yeah sure, it was normal for Merle to bring home girls after they'd been drinking and the next morning throw em out and never talk to em again, but that wasn't the man that Daryl wanted to be. Sure, he was guilty of it a few times, but he always hated himself afterward. It was a night to celebrate and he would do it alone.

"Stay here." He said without turning to face her.

~0...0~

Dakota sat on the couch, stumped at what at just happened. Not embarrassed, just confused. She frowned at herself and thought that maybe she just wasn't attractive enough. That had to be it, but she was too far gone to care. The world was a giant shithole, but that didn't mean that she couldn't have fun.

She decided that little incident wouldn't stop her. She jumped from the couch, grabbing her old, portable radio and went out the door to search for the recreational room that Dr. Jenner told the kids about.

She found it at the end of the hallway and smiled upon seeing Carl and Sophia playing Checkers with Carol, while Lori was searching through books. They said hello and Dakota went straight to looking for batteries. She searched through a few shelves and hooted in victory when she found a stash. Quickly, she popped four of them in and turned on the radio, switching to a CD she had kept in there. Yes, she had a portable radio with CD's. She didn't really realize how bad off everything would be when she packed up her things from that house. A radio now just seemed far too unconventional.

Music started blaring from the speakers and Dakota leaned her head back and sighed. She missed music more than anything. She missed the feeling she would get when she danced. She missed walking onto a stage and having all the attention on her. She missed belting the lyrics, but more than that, she missed how safe and grounded it made her feel.

Carl and Sophia danced for a while, until Carol took them away and told them goodnight. As they were leaving, a familiar brown head entered the room. She was about to say 'hello' when a familiar song came on.

"Holy crap, I love this song!" Lori and Daryl looked at her in silence as she crawled onto the pool table. Lori stifled laughter at the drunken girl and Daryl stared at with a raised eyebrow. Dakota stood there nodding along and took another sip of Jack as she waited for the song to start. Upon hearing the words, she smiled.

"Oh na na, what's my name? Oh na na, what's my name? What's my name? What's my name?" Her eyes closed briefly as it all flooded back to her. Her feet started moving as the memories came back and she smiled again. This was one of her favorite dances that she had ever done. She started rapping the moment the words came back on. She felt silly when she forgot a word, but she just took another sip and went at it again.

She giggled in between words and watched as a delirious Shane walked inside. He looked as confused and Daryl did.

"Hey boy, I really wanna see if you can go downtown with a girl like me. Hey boy, I really wanna be with you 'cause you just my type Oh na na na na." She hopped off the table and made her way around Shane in a circle and touched his upper back. "I need a boy to take it over," She made her way to Daryl and ran her hand across his shoulders, "Lookin' for a guy to put you work up. Oh, oh." She backed up and started back dancing and singing along again.

Her smile was now full on as she wove her hips around and twisted herself around to flip backwards. That was the best part of the dance to her especially when everyone was in sync, but staying in sync was the hard part.

"Ooh na na, what's my name? What's my name? What's my name?" As she sang the last part, she twisted and knelt with her elbow resting on her knee, her hair around her face, and faced the floor. The song ended and she threw up her arms and yelled. She took a few more drinks and turned to face the mini crowd that was there; Lori, Daryl, Shane, and Glenn, whom she didn't even notice. The looks on their faces were incredulous and her face burned. She felt like an idiot now. Glenn's mouth was open and Shane was swaying. Lori was laughing now and Daryl, well he was unreadable.

He wasn't even looking at her; he was looking at Shane whose eyes were on her. She started toward him taking another sip, when all the sudden everything grew blurry and she fell to the floor. She waited for the impact, but it never came. She was lifted up and flung over someone's shoulder.

"Thought I told you to stay in yer room?" It was a rhetorical question she knew, but when she tried to answer only a mumble came out.

~0...0~

The hallway blurred around her, mainly because she was still hanging from Daryl's shoulder. The soft thud of his boots echoed throughout the narrow walls until they came to a stop and she heard a doorknob turning. They walked through a doorway and she was laid on a couch. He left out the door without saying a word and she stuck her tongue out. She was too tired to move so she layed there waiting for him to come back.

In less than a minute, he returned with her things in his arms. He dropped them on the floor by the couch as he strode over to her. Confusion grew deep into her eyes as she stared at him waiting for an explanation.

"You're staying here tonight."


	6. Chapter 6: Aladdin

"You're staying here tonight. Unless, of course, you can walk?" Without a word, she stood up and put her foor out to take a step forward and fell back on her bum.

"Thought so. I'm going to take a shower. You take the couch and I'll take the cot. When you sober up a little you can shower." The broad of a man left the room, not waiting for her to reply.

He took long, powerful strides to the showers. He reached the door and knocked briefly, not caring who was inside. It was his turn and they'd just have to get the hell out. To his pleasure, no one was inside and he wasted no time in undressing and turning on the water. It was incredibly warm and he felt his muscles untensed. Letting out a much needed sigh, he leaned his head on the wall, letting the water drip off of his hair like soft spring rain. Slowly, but satisfyingly, he allowed his forehead to rest against the wall. A shiver of pleasure ran down his spine, causing a sigh to escape his lips. He wasn't too keen on the idea of letting his guard down, but right now he simply did not care. The steaming water rolling off of his back was enough to wash any unpleasant thought down the drain along with the dirt and blood that, by now was almost grafted into his skin. His peace lasted only a moment as his eyelids fluttered shut and his mind delved into the thoughts that haunted him the most.

_The room was dark and at 3 in the morning, no light filtered in through the windows, but he wasn't scared. He had no fear for what lurked outside, only fear for what monsters lurked here on the inside. Tonight, it was just him. In a way he didn't mind, but still it dug into his chest like someone carving a halloween pumpkin. Although the wind blew harshly and his ass itched something awful, he was at peace. At least the closet thing to it that he could achieve._

_A half-eaten sandwich lay beside him and the television screen flickered as he settled on one of the 5 channels available. The Family Feud theme song echoed throughout the living room walls. He didn't care much for game shows, but it was better than a Charlie's Angels re-run._

_"Name something people need to survive."_

_The panel consisted of two black families. _Niggers too lazy to work for their living. _The voice echoed in his mind but he shook it away._

_Seconds ticked on and the family managed to answer, "Clothes."_

_"Come on people! Food, water, shelter, protection. Common sense!" His anger bubbled in his chest as the sound of the buzzer rang out letting them know they were wrong. He was thoroughly amazed that as a child, he was still far more intelligent than two families with one simple question._

_In the midst of his rage, his stomach rumbled and he reached over to grab it. Immediately he froze in place, watching as the door swung open violently almost breaking it's hinges. _Shit. _Quickly Daryl turned off the t.v. and stood to face the intruder. When he managed to meet his eyes, they were relocated to the floor as he received a swift blow to his ribs. It wasn't enough to break anything, but the pain surged through his body and he fell in a heap onto the floor. Still in a coughing fit, he hurried along to his room leaving his sandwich behind on the couch._

_He would have no peace. Not even tonight or tomorrow. Not now. Not ever._

"Shit!" The door to the bathroom flew open and in the doorway stood a very unsteady Shane. Daryl's eyes narrowed at the men, blood dripped from the side of his face and he looked angry, more so than normal.

"Man, get the hell out! I've been waiting for an hour." Shane's voice spared no concern for the others who were probably resting.

"Not my problem. Get out." Daryl resumed his shower knowing that Shane was like an animal. Ignore it and it would go away. Eventually, he did but not without mumbling profanities that if Daryl had to guess were meant for him. He finished lathering himself without soap and turned off the water with a growl. He dressed quickly and promptly headed for his room.

The door eased open and he kept his boots from making too much noise. The girl was asleep on the cot and looked extremely content with herself. His boots clanked a bit noisily as he crept around to get a good look at her. She was sound asleep. Her eyelashes curled away from her face, long and black. Her skin was still smeared with a few dirt streaks, but almost spotless nonetheless. Her lips, an shade of the pinkest rose, were poised in a small pout. She wasn't all that bad. Better than most of the women back at camp, he could admit. He didn't know how long he had sat there, but something in him broke loose and he jumped up, smacking her on the shoulder so she would awaken.

"Get up. Your turn for a shower." It took a total of 10 seconds for a childish grin to spread across her features. She stood up, obviously feeling much better and grabbed up her clothes.

~::...::~

The shower felt amazing. The hot water rolled off of her skin and took away every dirt smudge and blood stain on her. She tilted her head toward the water and smiled, not remembering how long it had been since she felt this good.

"Thank you Jesus." A creak sounded through the room and echoed off the shower walls. She frowned at having her peace interrupted then her heart stopped. She had no idea who was in here and frankly, she didn't want to know. In the corner of the shower she hunkered down and wrapped her arms around her legs to cover herself. Her eyes shut and her she sat still as the door was slung open. Seconds ticked on and she was sure she would've been sweating if it weren't for the hot water pouring overhead.

"Seriously!

Shane.

"What the hell are you doing?" Daryl.

What in the ...

Shane growled something that could only come from a ravenous animal as Daryl stood in the door way his eyes calculating and dangerous. Shane took no time in turning on his heel and slamming his shoulder into Daryl's on the way out. Promptly returned with the famous Dixon stare. As much as she was glad that he came to run Shane out, she wanted him to leave too. Clearing her throat, he turned and shut the door.

~::...::~

_Knock Knock_

Nothing came from the other side so Dakota took that as a 'come in!' Daryl was across the room with his back to the door, sharpening his blades. The air was tense and she might have noticed if she wasn't tired. Crawling on the bed, she pulled the covers up to her chin and burrowed into a thick stack of pillows. She tried to remain quiet, but it was hard. Eventually she couldn't handle it anymore and a sigh escaped her lips. Daryl swiveled around and narrowed his eyes,

"Got something you wanna say?

"If you could have any Disney princess you wanted, which one would you choose?"

"Uh do what?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Coommoon, seriously! If you could have any of them, like a real one, which one?"

"Shit. I don't know?" He turned his back to her again and resumed sharping his blades.

Silence ensued for only a brief moment before she sighed again. "Anything else?" He only half turned around.

"I'd choose Aladdin. Or maybe Prince Eric... no, Aladdin. Ya know, if I could have a prince. Wanna know why?" She smiled at him and he shifted uneasily as he responded, "Not really, but do I have a choice?"

"He's brave and even though he lied a few times it was because he loved her. He did everything to keep her safe and no matter what he loved her. He fought for what he believed in. That's something honorable." All was quiet. Dakota was content in thinking that maybe she had him thinking. What kind of girls did he like anyway? He didn't seem like the hit and run type, but then again maybe he was. She'd seen the looks the others threw his way, well they threw them her way to but she was new. Maybe he was new as well? No, she shook her head. There was no way, she'd seen the way he distanced himself from the others. He was like this from the beginning, he was different, and they didn't like it, but she did. It was endearing in a strange sense. He was quiet, but he never held his tongue. If he had something to say then he would say it. He had something about him that held him in a higher sense, something innocent but no where near it at the same time. He would be the perfect Starburst commerical, she laughed.

"Jasmine."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Why?"

"She didn't care whether or not he was poor or that he didn't come from some fancy ass social class. She forgave him no matter what he did. She loved him for him not for anything else. And she just didn't give a shit. She was good sized too."

Dakota laughed, "Hey I got the curves too." She got up and shook her hips, with a grin spread across her face.

He smirked at her and shook his head, "Sit your twig-ass down." With a giggle she returned to her castle of covers and a grunt followed as she chunked a pillow hitting him square in the face.

"Go to bed Rambo."

"Hmph."

~::...::~

Light filtered in from the room and she knew Daryl had turned on the light. It pierced through her vision and she groaned rolling over. She stretched silently and her entire body shivered with pleasure. The night before she didn't have the pleasure to be in a bed and she thanked the lord she had one last night. Dakota turned around and expected to meet nothing, but there was definitely something. It was a Daryl something. He shrugged his button-down shirt off and slowly pulled his undershirt off of himself. He wasn't toned like a lot of men were, but he was definitely muscular. His arm width was pretty impressive and she could see the veins traveling down them as they involuntarily flexed. His exposed chest was broader and more toned than she expected. It was, to say the least, very nice. Then he turned around and his back was equally as toned, but something caught her eye as she quickly shut them tight as she could manage. She peeked one last glance at his back and pretended that she didn't see the scars covering it.


End file.
